


Christmas Without You

by monochromekiss



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Coffee Shops, Domestic Fluff, Don't copy to another site, Eren Yeager Being an Idiot, Fluff and Humor, Levi's Birthday (Shingeki no Kyojin), M/M, Married Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 09:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monochromekiss/pseuds/monochromekiss
Summary: Levi hated Christmas. All he wanted was to spend the holidays with Erwin by his side, yet he wasn't even allowed that it seemed. This was going to be the most miserable Christmas yet unless some miracle happened.
Relationships: Levi/Erwin Smith
Comments: 5
Kudos: 64





	Christmas Without You

Levi hated Christmas. It wasn’t just the fact his mother had died during December, and since then his uncle had never bothered to make the day special. It wasn’t even because his birthday happened to fall on the same day. If anything that had been a blessing, since it meant he only had to be disappointed once every year. 

He also hated the way everyone started getting ready as early as September, sucking any real meaning out of it. He hated how crowded the town centre would get, how he never knew what he was supposed to buy anyone for a present because they already had everything they wanted, and how he was for some reason obligated to send cards to a bunch of people he didn’t like and didn’t speak to for the rest of the year. 

This year in particular had to be one of the worst times yet. It was Christmas Eve, and most people were probably at home already celebrating with friends and family. Levi on the other hand was stood behind the counter at the coffee shop where he worked, serving hot drinks as if it was any other day. He had volunteered for the extra shift as soon as he had found out Erwin was going to be away on business; because if he couldn’t even spend the holiday with his husband then what was even the point? 

It was surprisingly busy considering what day it was, a steady flow of customers coming in and out so Levi had no time to stand around dwelling on Erwin’s absence. Most of them seemed to be either highly strung office workers in suits who had been forced to work, or annoyingly optimistic shoppers buying presents at the last minute. Levi much preferred the workers who were in a hurry, since they simply ordered their drink and then left without a word.

He was about an hour into his shift when a young brunette made his way over to the counter, and judging by the large grin on his face Levi guessed this one was going to be chatty. Just as Levi expected, the teen started glancing around at the various decorations adorning the shop just so he could comment on them. 

“Wow, it looks really festive in here huh?” The boy asked, his wide grin still perfectly in place despite Levi scowling at him.

“Yeah, I think that was the point.” Levi deadpanned. 

“Uh, right...obviously. Heh...So uh, I’ll take a medium caramel latte to go?” The brunette replied with a nervous laugh. 

“Really? You don’t sound so sure.” Levi remarked with a roll of his eyes, turning away from the counter to prepare the boy’s drink. “Name?” 

“It’s Eren...Eren Jaeger.” The brunette responded anxiously. It was clear he was only meant to give his first name so Levi could write it on the cup, but it had just slipped out. Eren began to shift nervously from one foot to another while he waited, desperate to fill the awkward silence with some kind of conversation. “It’s German by the way, my second name. I’m not German though...Not from there anyway. My dad is originally. He actually met my mom in Berlin when they were both over there for work, but then they married over here.” 

“I love how you just skip over the part where I didn’t ask.” Levi sighed under his breath, and if Eren had heard him he didn’t choose to comment on it. He quickly scribbled _Eren_ on the paper cup, hoping the teen would quietly leave as soon as he had paid. But as soon as green eyes gazed down at the small silver band on Levi’s finger he knew he wasn’t going to be that lucky. 

“So you’re married?” Eren asked as he placed the money down on the counter. “I guess you’ll be spending Christmas with them then?” 

Even though it wasn’t the brunette’s fault, Levi couldn’t help but let out a sharp exhale, his eyes narrowing into a glare. “My husband is away over Christmas, so no.” 

“Oh…Well…” Eren murmured with a grimace, but he still didn’t turn to leave. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of something comforting to say that wouldn’t make the situation any worse. “You know, you could always video call him maybe? I mean...That’s what I’ve done before when I haven’t been able to see my friends. We can’t physically be together, but we talk about random things and laugh, sometimes watch a movie at the same time. If you really care about someone, the distance doesn’t matter that much. You make things work.” 

Levi raised an eyebrow at the brunette’s suggestion, but he was grateful he hadn’t managed to make him feel even more depressed by the situation. It wasn’t a bad idea, and he was starting to wonder why he hadn’t thought of it before. “Thanks...I might just do that.”

“Well good luck, and uh...Merry Christmas!” Eren said cheerfully, the optimistic grin from before returning to his face before he left. 

Levi watched him leave, letting out a quiet sigh before he was forced to move on to the next customer. Maybe he should have just stayed at home even if it did mean being on his own. He just hoped that no one else would ask what his plans for Christmas were, because a quick video call with Erwin was as good as he was going to get. 

* * *

The rest of Levi’s shift was fairly uneventful, with most people far too busy to try and make small talk. Even if they were excited for Christmas themselves they didn’t particularly care whether Levi was or not. 

As soon as he returned home Levi carelessly tossed his coat to the side and dumped his keys into the bowl by the door, with the intention of calling Erwin as soon as possible. Knowing Erwin he was probably swamped with work with hardly any time to himself, since the blonde had always chosen to take on more responsibility than anyone else. But Levi wanted to hear his voice at least, even if it was only for less than a minute. Only Erwin had ever been able to immediately lift Levi's mood with just a few words. 

He already had Erwin’s name on screen with his thumb hovering over the call button when he first noticed something was off. The lights of the Christmas tree were already on, reflecting off the red and gold baubles on the tree and filling the living room with a warm glow. But Levi was sure he hadn’t left them on. In fact, he couldn’t even remember turning them on at all that day. 

As Levi moved closer to the tree he noticed an extra present that hadn't been there before, wrapped in shiny gold paper and a red ribbon, with a small name tag marked _Levi ♡_

"Hange?...Is this your doing?" Levi called out as he put his phone away and leaned down to take a closer look. He turned the present over his hands just to make sure he wasn't losing his mind, but sure enough it wasn't just a figment of his imagination. He expected her to come bursting through the door in an attempt to cheer him up, but the only response he received was complete silence. 

"Hange, I know it's you. You're the only one besides Erwin with a damn key." Levi groaned. If this was her attempt to distract him from his husband being away she wasn't doing a very good job by hiding for so long. 

It wasn't until he stood up again that he noticed the other change in the room. Sitting on the coffee table was a mug of tea waiting for him. This was a tradition that Levi had grown used to over the years. Whenever he got home from work and Erwin was there before him, his husband would always leave a cup of tea for him in the same mug he had bought him years ago as a Valentine's Day present. But this time Erwin wasn't here, was he? 

Levi slowly walked over to the coffee table, his pale fingers gently skimming over the rim of the mug and feeling the warmth radiating from it. The logical part of his brain was telling him this had to be Hange's doing too. Erwin was in a different country, several thousand miles away. But a small part of him wanted to dare to hope it could be true.

"Erwin?..." The name left his lips in a barely audible whisper. Then Levi felt two strong arms wrapping around his waist, a familiar pair of lips gently kissing his cheek. 

"Did you miss me?" A deep voice whispered in his ear, the same voice that still managed to send tingles running down Levi's spine even after all these years. 

Levi quickly spun around, deep blue eyes meeting silver ones for the first time in weeks. "You're back? How?" 

"The last meeting was cancelled. I got on the first plane I could just to see you." Erwin replied with a warm smile. "Are you surprised?" 

"Of course I'm surprised...But you have no idea how happy this makes me feel." Levi gasped, his heart hammering in his chest. He could feel himself beginning to tear up so quickly buried his head in Erwin's shoulder. 

"I've missed you so much, Levi." Erwin whispered, gently running his fingers through raven hair. "The gift isn't much. I didn't have much time since I had to hurry back in time for Christmas. But I can get you-"

"It doesn't matter." Levi quickly cut him off as he pulled away from the hug, tentatively placing one hand on his husband's cheek. "This is all I could ever want for Christmas. All I ever wanted was you." Before the blonde had a chance to say anything else Levi quickly leaned upwards and closed the gap between them, pressing a firm kiss to Erwin's lips. "I love you, you big sappy idiot."

"I love you too." Erwin replied with an amused chuckle. "Merry Christmas, Levi." 

"Yeah, Merry Christmas." Levi smiled. For the first time in weeks he actually felt happy, knowing what he thought was going to be one of the worst Christmases yet was going to be perfect. He didn't need expensive gifts or a big family gathering. Just having Erwin there was enough, and it always would be.

**Author's Note:**

> I really haven't had much time for writing lately and wasn't planning on anything for Christmas, but this fluffy idea suddenly came out of nowhere so I tried. It's not much of a plot but it's something. 
> 
> So I'm posting this a day late, but I hope you all enjoy it and have a great new year. And Merry Christmas to my close friend who I immediately thought of when this idea came to me. You make fandom and just things in general more fun.


End file.
